An evening of fun, food, and trends provided the opening to the first of the 2009 Design Matters Home seminar series held last week at our office.

The evening started with our stylish Zen cocktails and fantastic food from Louisville Colorado based Jules Gourmet Catering. A packed house of about 40 people gathered to meet and socialize before the 2009 trend presentation started.

The presentation was organized around the idea that trends shape our lifestyles and therefore our home interiors. We presented this idea in the sections below.

Color trends and themes
• Focus was on how colors are changing and being used in 2009. Examples included More muted colors, more layering of greys and other neutrals for tone on tone concepts, and more ethereal colors that create airy and optimistic layers. Blue is the new green and this trend was highlighted throughout the presentation.

General design trends in fashion and interiors
• Examples included metallics, blurred florals, butterflies, mixing patterns, piping on clothing and furniture, stylized florals, layering lace, big bold belts in fashion and furniture, chunky stones, turquoise, black pearls, embossed or imbedded elements in glass or wood, architecture dictating design, tufted headboards, chandeliers in unexpected places, textured/faceted/crackled glass, rubber furniture, and upcycling.

Fabric
• Examples included elaborate weave effects to create different textures such as metallic-shot linen, and fabrics with diamonds and argyle patterns.

Motifs
• Highlighted examples included Bohemian rhapsody, stretched paisleys, Moroccan influences, medallions, abstract flourishes and monograms, modern traditional, concentric circles, moveable/modular furniture, Mondrian influences, country but simpler, Western, and living walls.

Kitchens
• Stainless appliances are fading with bronze, black and champagne coming in (everyone was very happy to hear this as stainless has been a nemesis to many for showing fingerprints easily), medium maple and cherry finishes.

Kids
• Words on fabric, graffiti, camouflage, Manga – Japanese cartoon art, full and queen size beds (raised a groan with the audience), argyles and animal prints.

We had two stations in the room so attendees could get a closer look and feel of the new fabrics and colors for 2009. The color station highlighted the Pantone predictions for 2009 as an example one of many sources that predict colors for the year.

The Fuzzy Antler, an outstanding and popular home furnishings store in Old Town Louisville Colorado, shared the following items so attendees could get a firsthand look at some of the home furnishing trends.

• Giraffe bag, Zebra wallet– animal print• Indoor/Outdoor lamp – outdoor rooms
• Pandora bracelet with chunky stones
• Laundry bag and apron with fresh fun funky fabrics and lace to inspire a fresh country look
• Crackle glass vase
• Grey and white print pillow for ethereal

We look forward to seeing how these trends evolve through the year and we also will be excited to see the new ideas for 2010. Stay tuned to the Design Matters Home blog throughout the year for our observations.

Thanks to everyone who attended. If you were not able to make it, send an email to Helly at helly@designmattershome.com to get more information about the presentation or answers to your questions.

Labels: 2009 trends, color, Interior Design, trends

posted by Team Design Matters  0 Comments

Happy Friday!

I thought I would end the week with some of my thoughts on various home and interior design trends for 2009 I have recently seen on the web.

Remember with all trends, everyone is an expert at the time and there are opinions galore at the start of the year. You will find pros and cons to all of them. They are called trends because they come and go so take them with a grain of salt, even mine.

If you are working with a designer, make them part of your planning and discuss them at length to make sure they hold up for your goals (or design matters as we call them). Make changes to your home for the right reasons that work for you. Don't just do them because they are trendy...

Houses designed with both a master and second bedroom on the first floor are becoming more popular

Easy to agree with this one. This solution obviously gives massive flexibility for older people as well as younger families. Two bedroom masters are also more popular as well. With more people staying in their homes longer concepts like universal design and vistability can really extend the useful life of our homes well beyond what it used to be.

Completely separate office space, connected to the house by a hallway or a breezeway is growing in popularity

This makes sense. With more and more telecommuters working from home, people are realizing the importance of keeping the office separate from the living area as much as is feasible. This is to limit the embarrassment of a barking dog during a call and to mimic the separation that naturally occurs when you work at a separate location. Many of us cannot afford a totally separate office space so you have to get creative with your separation. Obviously a second bedroom or basement can be converted into an office. If that is also not applicable you can still create separation with screens, hanging panels of fabric, furniture lay-out, plants, etc.

Kitchens are getting smaller, but they are connected to much larger dining areas, often with a center island

I disagree with this one. With today's open floor plans, the kitchen is as large as adjoining rooms especially with large islands for dining. How can this room get smaller with more seating on a large island? Two work areas are more popular as ever with prep areas with two sinks. Guests are encouraged to get engaged in the cooking not stay out of the kitchen. Society is embracing the kitchen more than ever as a gathering spot. Pieces of furniture and art are brought in to make the kitchen appear more like a living space than a kitchen. Great examples - having furniture in place of cabinetry, cabinetry with legs, integrated appliances that go away like refrigerators, coffee makers, dishwashers, etc.

Oversized family rooms with high ceilings are giving way to smaller, cozier rooms with lower ceilings.

Amen! No doubt high windows in vaulted ceilings look really cool as do weird angled windows. The problem is that once you get past the cool factor you realize that they are highly impractical. The sun beats in relentlessly, privacy is more difficult as is cleaning. So for people buying new homes, it is great that there will be more options with cozier rooms. If you currently have rooms with high ceilings, do not fret there are solutions. Keep in mind though that they will be more expensive than other rooms due to their custom nature. Window treatments can be used to make a space feel much cozier and if placed correctly, lead the eye down to make the ceiling lower. The recent trend of painting ceilings the same as the wall color lends the room a smaller, cozier feeling. Wainscoting and crown moulding can also be used to bring the ceiling down visually.

Home theaters have lost much appeal because people don't want to watch television in a separate area of the home.

Define home theatre....if we are talking about a room solely for TV viewing with rows of seats that is truly isolated from other rooms, then it is true that there are not a lot of folks doing these rooms. There is appeal for a family room, where you can have guests or read, relax, etc. without a TV around. This is not to be confused with the formal living room. Again, this is a room to escape the constant barrage of cell phones, TV, computers, etc...this is a gathering place for family and friends to connect, feel comfortable, relax, and entertain. There is also the appeal for having another room dedicated to gathering the family or friends for TV - movies, football games, a game of Wii, etc. Home theaters are places that you go, sit down, and watch a movie...they don't encourage social interaction.

Increase in smaller renovations

I agree with this one. A few years back people had more capability, or more perceived capability, to major rennovations or just pick up and move when they grew tired of their home. A good side of the poor economy is that it forces people to take a deeper look at their current home. I think many find that with just some basic and pretty affordable "uplifts" they can achieve their comfort and functionality goals in their current home.

Loveseats. A pair or trio is gaining acceptance as the functional way to rearrange a living or family room. People are tired of sitting miles away from others on over-sized sectional sofas.

I agree, it is great to see people starting to get more comfortable creating more intimate areas of their rooms. Unfortunately I have seen, and still see people reluctant to create natural seating areas. They tend to put furniture along the perimeter of rooms which is awkward. I think it is more powerful to float appropriate furniture in the room, so you have more flexibility to create more seating areas.

Non-colors are hot. White on white. Cream on cream. White on cream. You get the idea. It’s almost a layering of the neutrals.

Yes, but I see it more as an ethereal/translucent look, rather than a layering of neutrals.

Blacks, whites, creams and grays are everywhere.

Not quite the only thing we are seeing but it is one color palette that is appealing to people now.

Splashes of colors. In the non-color look, it’s becoming popular to have an accent wall or accent piece that introduces the only splash of color in the room. The splash could be pillows, a piece of art of furniture.

Yes, I like this concept. A piece of furniture may be too expensive. You will get tired of the look so it is better to use something that is more interchangeable as your moods and tastes change like pillows, art, one accent wall, etc - w/o spending too much money.

Faux finishes are out

Maybe. Is this more lexicon and the colors used? People are still into the "washes" to get subtle depth which is essentially a faux finish but not too over the top. People still want to create interesting looks but in a more subtle way.

Kids study areas are in. Imagine a full wall mini-office or extended peninsula near the kitchen where the kids use their computers and do homework. This affords parental assistance with homework and supervision while they are using their computers.

Cool, fits again with the increasingly social goal of keeping the family together, and backs up my thought that kitchens are not getting smaller. Kitchens are a great place to put a very workable kids study area therefore you will need more room in your kitchen.

Chandeliers are popular again, but instead of gold or brass, they're being seen in polished black or something that reflects the light.

Love that chandeliers are back especially in fun, funky colors…these are awesome accent pieces in unexpected places….bathrooms, kids rooms, etc. The reflection of some of these new chandeliers is amazing and beautiful.

More durable, easier-to-clean fabrics are being used in households with kids and pets.

YES, YES…..more and more companies are making these so the options for more and more pattern and colors is expanding. These fabrics will last longer because they are thicker and more durable. They can be a tad more expensive, but if you can clean a sofa more easily, make your sofa last longer, and have more colors and patterns to choose from – WOW!

If you have questions on the trends or my thoughts send me an email (helly@designmattershome.com) or better yet attend our trends workshop on January 22 at our Louisville Colorado office. This workshop is the first of a monthly program we are starting for 2009. Visit http://www.designmattershome.com/ for the schedule which will be finalized in the next few days.

Thank you for reading. HAGW (Have a great weekend!)

Labels: 2009 trends, Interior Design

posted by Helly  0 Comments